Connected directly to the design lineage of Louis audemars piguet replica uk himself, the new Tank Anglaise watches give us the chance to look back on an iconic series of timepieces
Stylized representation of the new Tank Anglaise. This is the large model
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When a watch captures the public’s imagination to such a degree that it becomes emblematic of its maker, the watch has become an icon. Such is the case with the cartier santos replica Tank, which was created in 1917 by no less than Louis Cartier himself. This of course means that the Tank watch is linked all the way to roots of the brand’s watchmaking heritage. An icon like this requires much consideration before anything is either added or taken away from it. At the SIHH in 2012, we moved past consideration and moved into a time for change as http://www.nalumar.com/cartier-roadster-replica-uk.html revealed a brand new iteration of the Tank, the Tank Anglaise.
No doubt you have already seen the visuals of this latest and possibly mightiest of Tanks so perhaps a short journey through time is called for to examine how the latest model is a continuation of a design ethos handed down directly from Louis Cartier.
DESIGNING A REVOLUTION
The very first Tank design was literally inspired by a tank, or so the story goes. It was the tail-end of the World War 1 and the battlefield tank was making its debut. Louis Cartier is reported to have based his design of the Tank watch on the overhead view of the battlefield tank. In fact, the first prototype of the Tank from 1917 was presented in peacetime to General John Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary force in Europe.
However, the Tank watch itself was far from a novelty representation of a tank. Instead, the idea had formed in Louis Cartier’s consciousness that the wristwatch would soon become an essential accessory, replacing the pocket watch of old. Keeping this in mind, Louis’ ultimate goal was to integrate the lugs and the case with the strap.
When the Tank Normale, the first Tank model, was revealed to the world as a full production watch in 1919, it had become a watch that was simultaneously rectangular and square. This unprecedented design advance was a product of thinking about how to integrate case, lugs and strap. Key to the design were the brancards or vertical bars on the sides of the case. Other design elements that appeared on the Tank Normale that would recur in subsequent models were the chermin-de-fer and of course the Roman numerals.
Since this model appeared, the tank has never stopped pushing the aesthetics of wristwatch design forward. There have been no less than 14 models produced since 1917, all of them distinctive evolutionary steps. Cartier puts it this way: “The story of the Tank watch continues to be written, never to stop. Never stop Tank."
Cultural icons embraced the Tank watch from the early part of the 20th century onwards. Duke Ellington, Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol, Alain Delon, Jean-Pierre Melville and Cesar are just a few of the icons who are known to have owned and worn Tank watches of all sorts. Warhol in particular was a serious collector of Tank watches while Cesar described his attachment to his watch this way: "I like wearing my Tank, I'd feel completely naked without it. This watch has a physical, sensual, and most importantly tactile dimension. I'm always touching it, playing with it, without even looking at it, I look at it with my fingers."
THE TANK ANGLAISE
It has been 10 years since the last iteration of the Tank watch, the Tank Divan, and so the appearance of the Tank Anglaise is very welcome indeed. Cartier calls this latest version of the tank “pure, distilled Tank,” which is a good indication of where this Tank watch treads. Entirely contemporary yet unmistakably a Tank watch, the Tank Anglaise displays generous proportions and ample curves married to seamlessly integrated lugs, case and bracelet.
Loyal followers of the Tank watch’s journey over the years will note that Cartier has kept the faith with the chermin-de-fer chapter ring and the Roman numerals on the dial. The parallel brancards are also in place of course but there is a twist here. For the Tank Anglaise, the crown is integrated into the brancard, allowing the parallel lines to flow undisturbed. Viewed in profile though, the crown is visible, giving the appearance of a wheel within the brancard. This adds to an interesting chapter to the aforementioned design evolution of the Tank watch while simultaneously calling attention to the original battlefield tank inspiration.
There are three versions of the Tank Anglaise model for men and women, in three different sizes with three different types of gold. The largest model for both men and women is equipped with the in-house mechanical automatic calibre 1904MC, which collectors may recognize from the Calibre de Cartier collection and as the base of Cartier’s automatic Fine Watchmaking models.
http://www.steptalk.org/node/202737
http://hxpomega.soup.io/post/484626710/FABULOUS-TIME-LES-HEURES-FABULEUSES-DE-CARTIER
http://hxpomega.centerblog.net/55-fabulous-time-les-heures-fabuleuses-de-cartier
http://semescyl.org.mialias.net/node/12927
http://my.mmosite.com/5224698/blog/item/profile_cartier_id_two.html
Stylized representation of the new Tank Anglaise. This is the large model
Tweet5
When a watch captures the public’s imagination to such a degree that it becomes emblematic of its maker, the watch has become an icon. Such is the case with the cartier santos replica Tank, which was created in 1917 by no less than Louis Cartier himself. This of course means that the Tank watch is linked all the way to roots of the brand’s watchmaking heritage. An icon like this requires much consideration before anything is either added or taken away from it. At the SIHH in 2012, we moved past consideration and moved into a time for change as http://www.nalumar.com/cartier-roadster-replica-uk.html revealed a brand new iteration of the Tank, the Tank Anglaise.
No doubt you have already seen the visuals of this latest and possibly mightiest of Tanks so perhaps a short journey through time is called for to examine how the latest model is a continuation of a design ethos handed down directly from Louis Cartier.
DESIGNING A REVOLUTION
The very first Tank design was literally inspired by a tank, or so the story goes. It was the tail-end of the World War 1 and the battlefield tank was making its debut. Louis Cartier is reported to have based his design of the Tank watch on the overhead view of the battlefield tank. In fact, the first prototype of the Tank from 1917 was presented in peacetime to General John Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary force in Europe.
However, the Tank watch itself was far from a novelty representation of a tank. Instead, the idea had formed in Louis Cartier’s consciousness that the wristwatch would soon become an essential accessory, replacing the pocket watch of old. Keeping this in mind, Louis’ ultimate goal was to integrate the lugs and the case with the strap.
When the Tank Normale, the first Tank model, was revealed to the world as a full production watch in 1919, it had become a watch that was simultaneously rectangular and square. This unprecedented design advance was a product of thinking about how to integrate case, lugs and strap. Key to the design were the brancards or vertical bars on the sides of the case. Other design elements that appeared on the Tank Normale that would recur in subsequent models were the chermin-de-fer and of course the Roman numerals.
Since this model appeared, the tank has never stopped pushing the aesthetics of wristwatch design forward. There have been no less than 14 models produced since 1917, all of them distinctive evolutionary steps. Cartier puts it this way: “The story of the Tank watch continues to be written, never to stop. Never stop Tank."
Cultural icons embraced the Tank watch from the early part of the 20th century onwards. Duke Ellington, Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol, Alain Delon, Jean-Pierre Melville and Cesar are just a few of the icons who are known to have owned and worn Tank watches of all sorts. Warhol in particular was a serious collector of Tank watches while Cesar described his attachment to his watch this way: "I like wearing my Tank, I'd feel completely naked without it. This watch has a physical, sensual, and most importantly tactile dimension. I'm always touching it, playing with it, without even looking at it, I look at it with my fingers."
THE TANK ANGLAISE
It has been 10 years since the last iteration of the Tank watch, the Tank Divan, and so the appearance of the Tank Anglaise is very welcome indeed. Cartier calls this latest version of the tank “pure, distilled Tank,” which is a good indication of where this Tank watch treads. Entirely contemporary yet unmistakably a Tank watch, the Tank Anglaise displays generous proportions and ample curves married to seamlessly integrated lugs, case and bracelet.
Loyal followers of the Tank watch’s journey over the years will note that Cartier has kept the faith with the chermin-de-fer chapter ring and the Roman numerals on the dial. The parallel brancards are also in place of course but there is a twist here. For the Tank Anglaise, the crown is integrated into the brancard, allowing the parallel lines to flow undisturbed. Viewed in profile though, the crown is visible, giving the appearance of a wheel within the brancard. This adds to an interesting chapter to the aforementioned design evolution of the Tank watch while simultaneously calling attention to the original battlefield tank inspiration.
There are three versions of the Tank Anglaise model for men and women, in three different sizes with three different types of gold. The largest model for both men and women is equipped with the in-house mechanical automatic calibre 1904MC, which collectors may recognize from the Calibre de Cartier collection and as the base of Cartier’s automatic Fine Watchmaking models.
http://www.steptalk.org/node/202737
http://hxpomega.soup.io/post/484626710/FABULOUS-TIME-LES-HEURES-FABULEUSES-DE-CARTIER
http://hxpomega.centerblog.net/55-fabulous-time-les-heures-fabuleuses-de-cartier
http://semescyl.org.mialias.net/node/12927
http://my.mmosite.com/5224698/blog/item/profile_cartier_id_two.html